


Healing Hands

by dontkissthemonkeys



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hospital Visit, Kelly + kids, M/M, Nick + kids, No Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-07 19:17:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1910607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontkissthemonkeys/pseuds/dontkissthemonkeys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A visit to the emergency room changes Kelly's life in an unexpected way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Healing Hands

Lying on the uncomfortable mattress, Kelly listened to the bustle of the emergency room as he waited for someone to come back in and check on him. He wanted to be anywhere but here. No, scratch that. He wanted to be picking Nick up at the airport, because he plane was due in any minute now. But instead, Kelly was forced to wait for the hospital personnel to come back into his room. That’s what he got for trying to cook something nice for Nick.

He was still waiting twenty minutes later when his phone suddenly started buzzing, several text messages coming through in rapid succession. All from Nick. The last one was in all caps, saying, _WHAT HOSPITAL ARE YOU AT?_

Most people probably wouldn’t chuckle in the face of their partner’s concern, but Kelly couldn’t help it and smiled fondly as he responded with the name and address of the hospital. The next text that came through told him Nick would be there in about thirty minutes, less if he sped and didn’t get pulled over. Kelly wanted to tell Nick to just head to the cabin, but he knew that would not go over well. Plus, he didn’t know how much longer he was going to be in this damn emergency room, waiting for someone to finish with him so he could leave.

About five minutes later, he was dressed and standing just outside the main doors. He didn’t want to head home, because he knew Nick was almost here, but he also didn’t want to stand outside the hospital for twenty-five more minutes.

Making his way back inside, Kelly headed towards the elevators and pressed the button for the fourth floor. Pediatrics.

Kelly was familiar to most of the nurses and doctors on staff in the pediatric wards at the nearby hospitals, because he sometimes visited the kids in the camp when they ended up there. This particular hospital had a play room, where, if they were well enough, the kids could go, with their parents’ or a nurse’s help, and interact with other children for a little while.

Waving at the head nurse as he passed the nurses’ station, he walked down the hall and stopped in the doorway. Kelly made a quick scan of the room, and not recognizing anyone, he was just about to turn around when noticed a young girl walking towards him, awkwardly dragging her IV stand behind her. Smiling reassuringly, he stepped into the room and squatted when she stopped before him and gestured for him to come closer.

Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. “Will you play tea party with me?”

\------

Nick pulled his rental car into an empty parking space and turned it off. Pulling out his phone to see if Kelly had texted him again, he scrolled through the messages until he got to the first one he’d received as soon as he’d turned his phone back on. _Going 2 the hospital. Call when u get in._ Nick had been in a state of panic since the moment his brain actually processed what it said, and it had taken him longer than he’d anticipated getting to the hospital.

Sitting in the car, he took a moment to gather himself, knowing storming into the emergency room demanding answers wouldn’t do anyone any good. He might feel a little better, but going in there with a calm façade would be more effective. And Nick was damn good at putting on a calm face even when fear and worry were churning in his gut.

After a moment, he stepped out and walked inside. Retaining the mask, Nick stepped up to the station in the middle of the emergency room and asked, “Where can I find Kelly Abbott?” He voice was a little gruffer than he’d intended, but he was in a hospital for fuck’s sake. They expected people to be upset when they came in here.

The woman’s nails clacked on the keyboard as she typed in Kelly’s name, and Nick’s hands curled into fists at his sides, the noise grating on his frayed nerves. Long moments later, she looked up at him again and smiled. “Mr. Abbott was released nearly thirty minutes ago, sir.”

Nick blinked. “Excuse me?”

“The doctor gave him permission to go home half an hour ago.”

“That can’t be right. He would have told me.” Nick took a deep breath and spoke through grit teeth. “Could you check again, please? Kelly Abbott. K-E-L-L-Y A-B-B-O-T-T.” Feeling like an idiot as she stood there spelling out Kelly’s name, Nick tried not to let the panic rear its ugly head again. Why hadn’t Kelly texted or called him? What if something else had happened?

“I’m sorry, sir. Our records show he was released,” the woman said once more, giving him a small, sympathetic smile.

“Okay, thank you.” Nick smiled tightly and turned to go back to the parking lot. He had taken only a couple steps when someone touched him arm. Tensing at the touch, Nick looked down to find another woman standing next to him. She was wearing purple scrubs with bunnies that were so pink they almost hurt Nick’s eyes. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I heard you asking about Mr. Abbott. He’s up on the fourth floor. Turn right when you get off the elevator and go to the end of the hall. It’s the last room on the right.”

Heart rate speeding up, Nick barely stopped himself from sprinting away. “Thank you,” he murmured, gently extracting his arm from her hold and hurrying to the elevators.

What the fuck had happened to Kelly to get him fucking admitted? And why hadn’t Nick been notified? He was Kelly’s emergency contact; he should have been called if something had happened.

Pushing the button over and over again, he waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive and when he stepped inside, Nick was irrationally pleased that it went straight to the fourth floor instead of stopping at any of the others. By the time the elevator opened again, the calm mask was back in place. There was no need to worry Kelly even more. 

When he stepped out, the calm faded into confusion. There were cartoon and animal pictures all over the walls, and he passed several nurses wearing scrubs similar to the one he’d met in the ER. It didn’t take him long to figure out that this was the pediatric floor. His only question was why Kelly was there.

Nick followed the directions the nurse had given him, and even before he reached the room, he could hear children laughing. Stopping in the doorway, his eyes immediately landed on Kelly and a wide smile spread across Nick’s face. Kelly was balancing on a little plastic chair, doing his best not to break it, and he had a green boa around his neck. As Nick watched, a young girl pretended to pour tea into a cup, and when she was done, Kelly lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip. “Splendid tea, my darling, wonderful job.” The girl giggled and Nick snorted at the awful British accent Kelly was putting on. It was similar to the one Kelly used when he made fun of Liam Bell.

Smiling slipping slightly at the thought of Bell, Nick tuned back in when he heard the girl as shyly, “What happened to your hand, Kelly?”

Kelly lifted his hand and looked at it with an exaggerated gasp, as if he’d forgotten there was even anything wrong with it, and Nick was able to see that his palm was completely wrapped in gauze. “Oh, what, this? I got this when I was saving a prince from a dragon! ‘Tis but a scratch!”

The little girl giggled again and Nick laughed, quietly, along with her. Now that he had no more reason to panic, he wasn’t quite ready to make his presence known. Although, he suspected Kelly knew he was there. Kelly had tensed briefly when he entered but had relaxed soon after.

Leaning over the table, she whispered, “You can tell me the truth. I promise I won’t tell anyone!”

Whispering right back, Kelly smiled, “Okay. My boyfriend is coming to visit me and I was trying to make dinner for him. I accidentally hurt myself when I was cutting things.”

She gasped and Nick gave an accompanying grimace. “I hope it gets better real quick.”

“So do I, Little Bit,” Kelly said, winking at her.

Clearing his throat, Nick finally stepped fully inside the room. “Kels?”

Facing Nick, Kelly’s smile widened and he eased off the chair. “Lucky!” Closing the distance, he cupped Nick’s face and gave him a quick kiss before taking one of his hands and pulling him over to the small table. “Nick, this is my new friend Sophie. Soph, this is my boyfriend Nick.”

The little girl looked him over and frowned for a moment before a bright smile spread across her face. “Hi! Do you wanna play with us?”

“I would, honey, but I should probably get Kelly home so he can rest and feel better,” Nick said, taking the easy out. He loved watching Kelly playing with kids, but the idea of doing so himself was terrifying and he avoided it at all costs.

Beside him, Kelly was unwinding the feather boa from around his neck and handing it back to Sophie. “Maybe next time I visit Nick can play with us, okay?”

Looking shy once more, she carefully stood up. “You promise you’ll visit me again?”

“Not even dragons could stop me.” Sophie let out a happy squeal and threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Nick’s waist and pressing her face against his stomach. Kelly carefully hugged her until she released him. “See ya later, Bit!”

“Bye, Kelly! Bye, Nick!” she called as they walked out of the room.

As they headed back towards the elevators, Nick slung his arm across Kelly’s shoulders and looked down at him. “You’ve got some explaining to do, mister.”

Kelly only laughed.

\-------

Later that night, when they were lying in bed together, Kelly explained how he ended up in the children’s play room, and watched Nick’s face for any trace of lingering anger or upset, but he appeared to have forgiven Kelly’s lack of communication. Instead, he watched Kelly with a fond smile as he recounted everything that had happened while he was with Sophie. For the rest of the night, and even the next day, Kelly felt a kind of exuberance he hadn’t felt in a while. 

That was when he decided to make the hospital visits a regular thing.

Starting the next week, Kelly went to the hospital once during the week and once on the weekend, to spend time with the children. A couple weeks into this routine, he started bringing a guitar with him. He didn’t play very much or often, but it was enough to entertain the kids, and they made up silly songs and danced around the room while he sat on a chair in the middle of the room and played.

And once Sophie got too sick to come to the play room, he always made a special visit to her room before he left. _Saving the best for last, Little Bit._

It was two months later that Kelly got a slap in the face from reality.

The kids in the playroom had been called back by their parents so they could eat their dinners, and Kelly began packing up his stuff while a couple parents lingered to talk with him and share their gratitude. Several of them told him this was the happiest they’d seen their children in a long time, and Kelly blushed and smiled as he slung his guitar case over his shoulder, saying goodbye.

 

Walking down the hallway, he stopped at a room midway between the playroom and the elevators. Stepping inside, he started speaking before he cleared the bathroom wall. “Hey, Bit, how’s—“ Kelly froze mid-step and frowned. The room was…empty. Dread flooded his body, and he was barely aware of moving, but suddenly he was standing before the nurses’ station. “Maria, where’s Sophie? Did she get to go home?” Maybe if he stayed positive then he wouldn’t have to hear the news he knew was coming.

The look on the nurse’s face confirmed it, and it took everything Kelly had not to start crying right there. “I’m sorry, Kelly. We didn’t want you to be upset when you were with the other kids, so we didn’t tell you when you came in. Sophie, she died last night.”

Nodding woodenly, Kelly heard himself say, “Okay, thanks.” Then he was in the elevator and hurrying out to his car. Not giving himself a chance to stop and think, he started the car and drove the short distance to his house with the music blaring so he wouldn’t think of anything but the thumping bass, which seemed to be synchronized with the rapid pounding of his heart.

After what seemed like forever, he arrived back at the cabin and made himself go through the effort of putting the car in the garage. Kelly climbed out of the car, not bothering to grab the guitar; he didn’t even want to look at it right now. Normally, it was a symbol of happiness and helpfulness, but today, it seemed to taunt him with the little friend he’d lost.

Tears welled in his eyes and Kelly hurriedly entered the house and moved towards the stairs that led up to his bedroom. He could hear Nick moving around in the kitchen, but couldn’t stop to greet him. Running up the stairs, he pushed open the door of his bedroom and climbed onto his bed and curled into a ball, back facing the door.

It was only a few moments later when Kelly heard Nick’s footsteps on the stairs and then felt the bed dip behind him. Nick’s arm came around his waist, and he pressed his chest against Kelly’s back as he lightly kissed the top of Kelly’s head. They lay in silence for a while as Kelly’s body was rocked with quiet sobs.

Nick’s hand rubbed gentle circles across Kelly’s stomach and finally spoke. “Tell me about them, Kels.”

Turning in Nick’s arms, Kelly buried his face in his chest and clutched at the back of Nick’s t-shirt. “It was Little Bit, Nick. _Sophie._ She was so full of life, even when she got sicker. She always had a smile on her face, and was always happy to see me, even if we just watched a cartoon together.” Kelly closed his eyes and pressed his nose against Nick’s neck, breathing him in and letting the scent ground him, remind him what he still had. “You know what she told me last Saturday? She told me that her new favorite color was green, because that was the color my eyes turned when I was with her. Because we were both happy. Nick, I…I miss her. It won’t be the same without her. And I feel selfish for thinking only about myself. She was in pain, so I should be glad she’s not in pain anymore…right?” Kelly was aware that he sounded desperate, but he wasn’t sure what he really wanted Nick to say.

“No one is going to call you selfish, babe. At least, I’m certainly not. You’re hurting; there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging your hurt. But the fact that you’re worried about this tells me you are making Sophie’s pain a priority. And I know you. Once you get past the shock, that little girl and her family will be the only ones you consider. You’re good like that. You loved and lost, Kelly. Was it worth it?”

Kelly didn’t even think about it before nodding and whispering, “Yeah. It was.” Slowly releasing Nick’s t-shirt, he moved his hand away as Nick turned onto his back and tugged Kelly to lay half on top of him. As Nick’s hand rubbed up and down his back, Kelly’s breathing and heart rate began to slow back to normal, and he tilted his head to kiss Nick’s neck. “Thanks, Irish.”

Nick simply hummed in response and nuzzled Kelly’s temple. “Are you going to go back on Saturday?” Again, Kelly didn’t need to think before he nodded. Even though Sophie wasn’t there anymore, the fourth floor was full of other children who took joy in Kelly’s visits. He needed to be there for them, too. Nick’s fingers ran through Kelly’s hair, tugging gently, and Kelly looked up to find him smiling, his love for Kelly clear on his face. It went a long way to helping Kelly feel better. “Do you want me to go with you?”

Smiling for the first time since he’d gotten the news, Kelly leaned up to kiss Nick. “Have I told you recently that I love you?”

“Love you too, Kels.”

\------

As they rode to the hospital on Saturday morning, Nick subtly kept an eye on Kelly, watching for any sign that he couldn’t handle going back so soon.

“I’m not going to have a breakdown, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Kelly said dryly, briefly glancing at Nick as he turned into the hospital parking lot.

Nick grinned at being caught. “Just checking.”

“I appreciate the concern.” Kelly unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over to quickly kiss Nick. “But stop it.”

“I’ll try.” Of course, they both knew that Nick would continue to worry about Kelly until he was confident Kelly was okay. Kelly liked to pretend that he always bounced back very quickly, but Nick knew him well enough to know that the pain stuck with him for a little while before he could move on.

Laughing, Kelly got out and grabbed the guitar before meeting Nick at the front of the car. He immediately slipped his hand into Nick’s, and a rush of warmth went through him at the simple display of affection. They both had gotten even more comfortable with small public displays over the course of their time together, but it always made Nick happy when Kelly initiated it.

They entered the hospital and when they got to the fourth floor, Kelly’s hand tightened around Nick’s as they waited for the elevator to open. Giving him a reassuring smile, Nick brushed his thumb over the back of Kelly’s hand and followed when Kelly stepped out of the elevator. They walked down the hall together; almost every adult, and each child, they passed called a greeting to Kelly. All these friends he’d made, all these people he’d helped…Nick was proud to call Kelly his and be seen with him.

Nick was pulled out of his thoughts when he was suddenly jerked to a stop, arm wrenching backwards when he continued moving while Kelly stood still. Glancing over his shoulder, he found Kelly smiling and valiantly trying to hold back his snickers. Raising an eyebrow, Nick took a step backwards so he was beside Kelly once more. “What?”

“Gotta make a stop first,” Kelly said, gesturing at the room they stood just outside of. “Little girl in here, she can’t come down to the play room because too much movement tires her out fairly quickly, but she likes when I play guitar for her.”

“Okay, Kels. You’re the lead today; I’m just here to watch your six.”

Kelly smiled once more and leaned in to kiss Nick quickly, squeezing his hand before releasing it and stepping into the doorway. Nick watched fondly as Kelly knocked on the door, bright smile on his face as someone called for him to enter. “The fun has arriiiiived!”

As Nick stepped into the doorway, he heard the giggles of a little girl as Kelly bounced into the room. “Kelly!” she exclaimed, opening her arms wide. 

“Hey there, beautiful, looking good,” Kelly said as he took off the guitar and gently leaned it against the wall before bending over to carefully hug the girl in the bed. When he stood once more, he reached over to shake the hands of her parents and they greeted him like a friend they’d known for years.

“Kelly?” the girl whispered, tugging on his arm. “Who is that?” She pointed past Kelly, at him, and Nick shuffled awkwardly and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

Kelly glanced over his shoulder and gestured for Nick to come closer. Slowly picking his way over to the side of the bed, he stood next to Kelly and raised his eyebrows slightly, waiting for him to make introductions. “Layla, this is my boyfriend, Nick. Remember I told you about him last week?” She nodded quickly, clinging tighter to Kelly’s arm. “Nick, this is my friend, Layla, and her parents, Charlotte and Alex.”

The parents gave him warm welcomes, but they fell silent again as they all realized that Layla was still hiding shyly behind Kelly. Taking a deep breath, Nick took a little step closer and held his hand out to her. “Hi, Layla.” She hesitantly reached over to shake his hand, but pulled hers back quickly and wrapped it back around Kelly’s. Clearly he needed to say something more to try and break the ice, and he looked briefly at Kelly before saying, “Now I see why Kelly visits the hospital so often. How could I ever compete with a beauty like you?”

A blush and a smile lit up her face, and Nick inwardly gave a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to ruin the visit for Kelly or Layla, so if she hadn’t taken to him even a little bit, Nick would have felt compelled to step outside and leave them to it, and he didn’t want to do that. He wanted to be there for Kelly like he’d promised.

Moving back out from behind Kelly, she looked at Nick with that smile still on her face and pointed at his head. “Hey! Our hair matches!”

“Well, would you look at that?” Nick replied, relaxing slightly. “All the best people have red hair, right?”

“Right!” she giggled, fully releasing Kelly finally. Before he could step away, though, she reached up to touch his face and whispered again. “Kelly, do you mind if Nick sits by me today? I don’t wanna hurt your feelings, so it’s okay if you don’t wanna switch.”

She looked so serious while she spoke, and Nick had to bite his lip to hold back a laugh as Kelly nodded just as solemnly. “That’s fine, sweetheart. As long as I’m still you’re favorite.” He winked at her, patting her little hand, and stepped back to make room for Nick and retrieve his guitar.

Nick pulled two chairs closers and settled in the one near the head of the bed as Kelly sat in the other. “So, we’ve been making up our own songs. Layla has been teaching me the Spanish words she’s learned in school. Got any new ones for us today?” She nodded excitedly and, with the help of her mother, moved the bed up a bit more so she was sitting.

A moment later, Kelly began playing and Nick’s gaze caught on the way his hair fell across his forehead as he looked down at the guitar. When Kelly looked up again, his dark blue eyes peered out from behind the locks and he smiled widely as Layla began saying the new words along with the melody Kelly played. It wasn’t organized or anything near what a song usually sounded like, but both of them were clearly having fun, and Nick sat back and watched the happiness on Kelly’s face, joining in when Layla prodded at him. _Niiick! You’re not **singing**._ He would begin saying the words with them, but eventually trailed off, taking pleasure in just watching and listening.

After the news of the other day, Nick had been concerned Kelly would hold onto the pain, but he could see that the joy of this little girl was a balm to Kelly’s wound and he was starting to heal right before Nick’s eyes.

There was nothing better he could ask for.


End file.
